The MusicNerd Q&A With Ryan Leblanc

Exactly what is in the water down St. Andrews way? The small town seems to be a hotbed of talent having given rise to a number of prolific musicians including Owen Steele as well as Ryan LeBlanc.

LeBlanc is an East Coast Music Award winning musician who has developed a rather unique style of percussive guitar playing. LeBlanc is celebrating the release of his third full-length album Solitude with a number of shows throughout the province over the next week.

On Thursday May 16, Ryan performs a 6:30 p.m. timeslot at St. Andrews’s Paddlefest before moving onto Parkindale Hall for a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon. Leblanc performs at Café Aberdeen in Moncton on Tuesday May 21 and then moves onto Fredericton’s Cedar Tree Café the following night.

LeBlanc spoke with Here Magazine earlier this week:

How did you develop your style of guitar playing?

Honestly, I developed my style by accident. I had been playing guitar for years and took an interest in playing congas. After having learned some conga-playing techniques, I decided to use the body of my acoustic guitar to learn hand percussion. There was one day that I was playing something on guitar and I subsequently added a few beats to the song using my guitar as a percussive instrument. I think it has allowed me to offer something a little more original in my approach to writing and playing music.

You made your new record with Moncton native Chris Colepaugh who in addition to music career of his own also performs with Roch Voisine. What inspired you to want to work with Chris?

Working with Chris was amazing. I have been a fan of his since pretty much forever and just love his playing and dedication to music. I was pretty confident that those qualities would carry over to the studio and indeed they did. In addition to being a total pro in the studio, he brought out the best in my performances.

Did the touring and promotion you’ve done in the three years leading up to this record lend themselves to the end result of Solitude?

My experience on stage in the last few years has helped me grow immensely more confident on stage. At the end of the day though, you just need to be yourself and stay grounded and true to what you believe in.